> Sure, but then the city better start spending some billions to improve the infrastructure and public transportation Now you're onto the crux of the issue. P

> Sure, but then the city better start spending some billions to improve the infrastructure and public transportation Now you're onto the crux of the issue. People, generally, don't want to commute more than 30m each way. The further away you get from that time frame, the more people "drop out" or start sacrificing in other areas (e.g. housing). Having reliable passive transit such as trains or subways extends this time window some. Build a bullet train that gets you from Modesto (random town 90 miles away) to S.F. in 30m and watch how many families are perfectly willing to buy a 4 bedroom house for 350k and commute every day. Not to mention all the towns in between. edit The LA -> SF bullet train's a good start if it lives up to the hype.